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My Favorite Books Of 2015

This year I have tried to do a lot of new things (like start blogging) and so I tried to read more books than I usually do. I tried to read at least one book a week and these are some of my favorite books I have read this year in no particular order.

Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green and David Leuithan

“You can pick your friends, and you can pick your nose, but you can’t pick your friends nose”

I read this book pretty recently and absolutely fell in love with it. Honestly everything John Green does is pure genius but in this book David Leuithan adds his own spin to the story which makes it even better. This is probably my favorite YA book. Not only is it very relatable and down-to-earth it also brings out a lot of important issues we all need to deal with. It revolves around two teenagers both called Will Grayson and an openly gay friend Tiny Cooper. The two Will’s accidently bump into each other one night and the second Will Grayson who is gay ends up having a deep connection with Tiny Cooper. From there the story progresses and involves a lot of drama, singing, acting, whining and bickering (and that’s just the first Will Grayson!). The first Will Grayson’s parts are written by John Green. He is whiny, mildly irritating, pessimistic and needy. The second Will Grayson’s parts are written by David Leuithan. He is depressed, also pessimistic, gay, an introvert and cynical. I would highly recommend that you read this book. I’ve also written a review on this book that you can check out here.

A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini

“One could not count the moons that shimmer on her roofs, or the thousand splendid suns that hide behind her walls”

This touching book is truly incredible. It revolves around the life of two Afghanistani women who come from different backgrounds but wind up suffering the same fate. It begins with Mariam who is under sad circumstances forced to marry a man more than twice her age when she herself is only a young teenager. The same happens to Laila and she is coincidently forced to marry the same man a few years later. He is abusive and savage and makes their life an absolute living hell however after going through so much together Laila and Mariam form a special bond that brings them together as they start to plot to do the impossible- escape their husband. Their past often comes back to haunt them all through the book. This book also gives us an insight on the life lived in Afghanistan in the latter half of the twentieth century.

Paper Towns by John Green

“It is so hard to leave until you leave. And then it is the easiest goddamned thing in the world”

John Green is definitely one of my favorite writers mainly because I can always relate to his characters. Paper Towns is pretty dark but at the same time it is really realistic and relatable. It revolves around a teenager called Quentin and his crush Margo. When they were young they were really good friends but eventually they grew apart and Margo grew up to be very popular but completely unhappy with her life and Quentin grew up to be an average teenager who was okay with how his life was going. However, everything changes one night when Margo takes Quentin on an adventure than completely disappears. Quentin thinks she wants him to find her and in doing so he learns more about himself and her than he ever thought possible and he starts wanting and doing things he never knew he could. This book is both engaging and amusing at the same time. If you want to read more about this book I have written a full review that you can read here.

An Abundance Of Katherine’s by John Green

“What is the point of being alive if you don’t at least try to do something remarkable?”

As you can tell I’m pretty much obsessed with John Green’s books right now so obviously I needed to add this one to the list too. Unlike most of Green’s books this one is lighter and more amusing than anything else. The main character, a teenager called Colin only dates girls called Katherine starting with the letter K. His life seems to be going downhill as his girlfriend breaks up with him so he goes on a road trip with his overly optimistic best friend Hassan. On the way he thinks about what he wants to do with his life and learns how to deal with not being perfect or a genius. On the way he meets Lindsay who has some issues of her own and together they begin to learn about life and its meaning.

A Game Of Thrones by George R. R. Martin

“Never forget what you are. The rest of the world will not. Wear it like armor and it can never be used to hurt you.”

So I finally began reading George R. R. Martin’s series of A Song Of Fire And Ice and I had to add this book to the list. So the story revolves around the Stark’s, Baratheon’s, Lannister’s and Daenerys Targaryen. When Ned becomes Hand to King Robert Baratheon he discovers dark secrets that are being kept in the palace and his learning the truth may just end up destroying his entire family. On the other hand, Daenerys is married off by her psychotic brother to Khal Drago and at first she is miserable but soon she learns to embrace her new life and even begins enjoying it. The best part about reading all this is you get so much inside information the TV show doesn’t offer. I mean I love the show but the book is definitely more detailed and in-depth in comparison. This series of books are amazing and you should definitely read them especially if you’re a fan of the TV show. You can also read my full review of this book here.

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

“She was one of the few souls that made me wonder what it was to live”

I think this is my favorite book of all time. It is really unique in the sense that it is narrated by none other than death himself. It is absolutely amazing and has brought out so many feelings! It is set in Nazi Germany and revolves around a young girl called Liesel. Her parents who were communists left her with the Hubermann’s to keep her safe. She soon becomes friends with Rudy Steiner her neighbor and they go on lots of adventures together and eventually end up being very close. She also grows close to her gentle hearted and caring step-father Hans Hubermann and her short-tempered but loving step-mother Rosa Hubermann. This story is a rollercoaster of emotions but it’s worth it. It also gives a great insight on the life of Germans during the rule of the Nazi’s and the Second World War. If you want to read my full review on the book you can read it here.

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